Out Of Our Hands
by GleekOut91
Summary: A medical diagnosis has Beca and Chloe on different wave lengths. While Beca keeps choosing to run away from the reality of her condition, Chloe is desperate to make her see sense. However, a tragic event at Barden University takes the decision out of Beca's hands before she can decide, leaving Chloe staring into a future that may or may not include the love of her life. (Bechloe)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Don't ask me why this happened, it just did. I never imagined writing for another pairing before until I watched Pitch Perfect 2 the other day and got sucked in by Bechloe. So let me know what you think, this is currently open to be a multi chapter fic. Anways, hope you like it, if not, at least I killed some time trying to get over the writer's block preventing me from writing for my other fic.**

 **Trigger Warning: This chapter depicts scenes of a shooting. In light of recent events, I feel it necessary to warn any readers who may take issue with the topic or find it uncomfortable to read.**

Chloe Beale was a worrier. She couldn't help it, it was in her make-up, part of her DNA. She worried about lots of thing's, whether it was preparing set lists for competitions, choreographing dance routines or making sure the Bella's were singing in perfect harmony. She liked things in her life to be organised and perfect. It made her calm. That's why she hated confrontation and things being outside her control. It made her anxious when things in her life were a little off kilter.

So you can imagine how much it affected her when she discovered that her girlfriend of two and a half years had been living with an undiagnosed heart condition. After purposely failing Russian Lit so she could remain a Bella, Chloe had gotten to know her new co-captain Beca Mitchell on a much deeper level. Without Aubrey around, Chloe no longer had her best friend, and Beca sensed that the red head was sort of lost without her.

So Beca had gone out of her way to cheer her co-captain up, something she wouldn't have even thought of doing back in her early freshmen days. But that's what the Bella's had done to her, they'd somehow managed to soften up the once closed off, sarcastic DJ girl to the point that she now cared for them and considered them all friends, and that included Chloe.

What they hadn't expected was how well they would get on. They were so different but at the same time, they were also pretty similar in many ways. They were both very driven and would do anything to make a success of the things they cared about, whether it was Chloe with the Bella's or Beca and her music. They also, in their own ways, were both free spirited individuals, who were confident in their own ways and unafraid to express themselves in whatever they felt necessary.

The more they got to know each other, the closer they became, to the point that they were the closest of all the Bella's. Whenever Beca made a new mixtape, Chloe would be the one that would be the first to hear about it, and whenever Chloe got an awesome idea for choreography, Beca was the first one she would run through it with to make sure it worked.

There closeness hadn't gone unnoticed by the other Bella's either, they'd even taken bets to see how long it would take for either girl to give into the sexual tension that was simmering between them. It wasn't until Beca and Jesse had broken up after realising the chemistry wasn't there anymore that things took a turn. Chloe had shown up Beca's room to comfort the girl after the breakup and almost kissed, witnessed by Fat Amy, was enough to motivate the other Bella's to help things along.

After forcing the girls to kiss in a "friendly" game of truth or dare, things began to reach a boiling point. But with both girls refusing to be the first to admit there was anything between them, the Bella's took it upon themselves to set up a candlelit date for the girls down by the lake, forcing the girls to talk and to finally acknowledge that maybe there were feelings there that were more than platonic.

Which brought them to where they were now, happily loved up heading towards their third anniversary. But they'd had their bumpy moments along the way. Beca couldn't understand why Chloe would willingly fail Russian Lit THREE times in order to stay in college. After several arguments about it the red head finally broke down and admitted that she was scared to leave because she didn't know where or what she wanted to do with her life. Being a Bella meant a lot to her and if failing a class three times meant she had more time to figure things out, she was fine with that.

This eventually led to Beca supporting her and telling her that, if it gave her the time she needed to work things out she would support her, as long as she promised that she wouldn't turn into Van Wilder and attempt to stay in college forever. From that point on things had been fine. They rarely fought, sure they bickered like most couples, but major arguments were few and far between. They worked together like a well oiled machine, both as a couple and as the leaders of the most successful all female acapella group in the history of the competition. Things were going great, until Beca received some life changing news.

Last year, before National's was due to take place, Beca's father suffered a heart attack and was later diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as HCM. Everything was fine until his doctor informed him that there was a 50% chance that his daughter could have inherited the condition, however they couldn't be sure unless she was willing to be tested for it.

Beca had outright refused. She wouldn't even entertain the idea and began to close herself off from everyone as she digested the news. She skipped Bella practices, skipped classes, it worried Chloe to no end. Her girlfriend was pulling away from her and she didn't know why. At first she had thought it was due to the stress of what had happened to her father, but she would soon learn otherwise.

While visiting Beca's father at his home, the man accidentally let it slip about his condition and what it meant for his daughter, believing that Chloe already knew. However the look of shock that passed her face told him otherwise and he quickly apologised, explaining that he thought Beca would've told her. But after the shock began to fade Chloe simply reminded him that when it came to his daughter, she had a habit of running away from things she didn't want or know how to deal with right away.

Fearing that her girlfriend was putting herself at unnecessary risk, Chloe had stormed over to the one place she knew Beca would be hiding out in, the on campus radio station. Upon finding the brunette locked away in the DJ booth with her obnoxiously big and expensive headphones on, Chloe burst through the door with tears streaming down her face, yelling at her for keeping secrets, especially one as big as she had been hiding.

When Beca tried to console her girlfriend and calm her down, Chloe brushed her off, giving the brunette an ultimatum. If she wanted to remain in a relationship, then she had to get tested for the condition. If she refused, then they were over. It was as simple as that. Before leaving, she told Beca how much she loved her, so much so, that she wasn't prepared to sit back and possibly let the same thing happen to her that had happened to Dr. Mitchell.

The next morning, Chloe woke up alone in the room she normally shared with her girlfriend, tears welling in her eyes at the thought that the shorter girl had in fact chosen to walk away from their relationship out of the fear of the unknown. It wasn't until she arrived downstairs to the kitchen and found her girlfriend sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee that she realised she was wrong.

"So I have an appointment at the hospital today to get tested. You can come or whatever, you know, if you want," Beca said, her usual stoic expression in place as she acknowledged the presence of her girlfriend. With a new wave of tears glistening in her eyes, Chloe smiled and nodded her head before erasing the distance between them and taking a seat in the chair next to her girlfriend and resting her hand over Beca's, and leaning in to kiss her.

One week after being poked and prodded and examined to within an inch of her life, Beca received the news that she did in fact have HCM. When the initial shock wore off, Chloe, who had been right by her side, took it upon herself to ask the doctor what that meant for Beca going forward and what her prognosis was.

With the right medications, a healthy diet and maintaining a light exercise routine, they had been assured that the DJ could still live a full life, however he couldn't promise that there wouldn't be any complications because of the condition. Matters of the heart were always a tricky minefield, but as long as Beca took care of herself and listened to her body things should be fine.

Unfortunately the doctor hadn't been aware of who he was talking to. Beca was not the type of person who took change well and it had taken months for her to finally find a rhythm, although much of it had been done to Chloe taking matters into her own hands and forcing her girlfriend to take her health seriously. The heartfelt pleading from the redhead seemed to work, until Beca landed an internship with a record company.

The stress of trying to impress her boss and keep up with Bella's rehearsals while making mixes for competition and trying to stay on top of her relationship and managing her health finally took their toll on the tiny DJ and, after an argument between herself and the Bella's at a retreat to re-establish their sound, she stormed off, only to collapse minutes later with crippling chest pain.

It was while confined to a hospital bed that the latest topic of contention between Beca and Chloe had arisen. Following a discussion with her doctor about what may have caused the collapse, and her plans for the future. Realising that she was putting herself in a position to be dealing with further stresses it was advised that Beca receive an ICD implant help deal with abnormal arrhythmias that could lead to further collapses or even cardiac arrest.

The brunette had yet to decided, and this was what was currently the cause of Chloe's worry. Sitting indian style on their bed, Chloe watched as Beca floated across the room dressing for the day and gathering whatever items she would need for her classes, blatantly ignoring her concerned gaze. The brunette kept brushing Chloe off whenever she tried to broach the topic but this time, she wasn't letting it go.

"Bec...," she started but before she could say anything, Beca dropped her bag down on her study desk and cut her with a look. "Not now Chloe, I'm late as it is and I really don't wanna talk about this right now." That was it, Chloe'd had enough of being brushed off so she did the one thing she knew would provoke a reaction, she stood up and grabbed her girlfriend by the arm and stopped her movements, forcing her to stay and speak rather than run off.

"No! No more later, or not now, or I'm busy I have a ton of stuff to do. Okay this is important and I'm not gonna let you keep putting it off just because your too scared to face it head on!" By the time Chloe was finished speaking she was red in the face, huffing and puffing, her brow creased as she gazed down on Beca who was staring back, her jaw bobbing up and down as she allowed everything to sink in.

"Wow, okay you know what, I don't have to do this right now," Beca said as she pulled away from Chloe waving her hands as if brushing off the conversation which just further fuelled the redhead's annoyance. "Yes, we do! Okay you might be willing to bury your head in the sand and ignore it, but I'm not," she sighed, hands slapping down by her side, voice cracking a little from emotion.

"I get that this is your condition and that it's happening to you, but it's not. When things affect you they affect me too," Chloe said, pointing at her own chest for added emphasis. "We're a couple, we're in a relationship, if it hurts you it hurts me and seeing you ignore something that could be really good for your health hurts me." At this Beca swallowed thickly and bowed her head, avoiding Chloe's gaze by staring at her boots. Needing to drive the point Chloe reached out and clasped her hands with the brunettes, causing the DJ to glance up and see the tears building in bright blue eyes.

"I don't want to be on the receiving end of a phone call like the one you got about your Dad. I-it would kill me," Chloe croaked out, unable to keep fighting against the lump in her throat. "You p-promised that we were for keeps, but how can that be if I don't know whether or not you're going to come home each night? How will I know you haven't collapsed at the radio station, o-or that you won't have a heart attack or something while we're performing on stage?" At this Beca squeezed Chloe's hands to try calm the girl.

"Chloe, you're overreacting, no..." before Beca could try and finish her sentence her girlfriend ripped her hands away and talked over her. "NO BECA! I'm not overreacting. People have died from this condition, literally just dropped dead and I'm not gonna stand by and wait for a phone call telling me the same thing has happened to you!"

Beca's jaw clenched as she listened to her girlfriends rant and she tried to maintain eye contact but she couldn't keep looking into sad blue eyes and seeing tears. She couldn't bare to see that pleading look that forced her to acknowledge the truth because the reality of the situation was, Beca didn't want to. She didn't want to have to deal with all these decisions, she didn't want to have to think about having surgery and she definitely didn't want to have a stupid heart condition.

Sure the doctors said with her medications and this ICD device thingy that she would be fine, that people all over the world live with this condition every day and lead perfectly normal lives. But there were also no guarantees. They couldn't guarantee that Beca would never have a heart attack. They couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't develop any complications later on in life when the stresses of living out in the real world set in post couldn't guarantee that Beca wouldn't do what Chloe said and collapse unexpectedly.

But the doctors had informed her that with this device, even if that did happen, it could give medical response units enough time to get to her so that she could be treated. It would help to correct most irregular heartbeats, decreasing the chances of a heart attack being brought on, or at the very least, delay it. In other words, it would give both Beca, and Chloe, piece of mind that this condition wouldn't impede of the DJ's life completely.

And Beca knew that was all Chloe wanted, piece of mind. The redhead was protective of the things that mattered to her, the Bella's, her friends, her girlfriend. So to have said girlfriend constantly running away from dealing with her condition was weighing heavily on her mind and Beca was sorry for that, but it didn't change how she felt. She was scared, but she refused to admit it.

No, instead she would do what she always did in times of uncertainty, she would lock herself away inside her head and focus on what she loved most, aside from her girlfriend of course, and that was looking up to see those same sad eyes she had been trying to avoid, Beca stepped back and picked up her messenger bag with all her books and her laptop and then turned back to her girlfriend.

"I'm gonna be late. I'll see you at practice later," she mumbled as she side stepped the redhead and made her way out of the room. Chloe bowed her head and pressed her hand to her forehead as a few tears escaped her, softly brushing her hair back as she tilted her head back in a bid to stop the flow of tears. She didn't know how much longer she could take Beca walking away or shutting her down like this.

As she dropped her hand, the glistening of a diamond caught her eye and she raised her right hand in front of her to gaze at the white gold promise ring sitting on her ring finger. Beca had given it to her on their anniversary months ago. Chloe could vividly recall the moment and how sweet and romantic the gesture had been. Knowing how scared Chloe was about the future and what was next, Beca had gotten her a ring to remind her that, no matter what happened, there was one thing that she could be certain of, and that was their relationship.

Beca had looked somewhat uncomfortable at the time, not being used to expressing herself in such sappy ways, but she did it, for Chloe and it had meant the world to her. The ring was gorgeous and was the perfect symbol of their relationship. It was a simple white gold band with a diamond set into the centre of a heart shaped treble clef. It was beautiful, and it was Chloe's most prized possession.

Hugging her hand to her chest, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, deciding there and then that she wouldn't give up and that she would make her girlfriend see sense. Opening her eyes she heaved out a breath and then finished getting ready for the day. As she fixed her make-up and hair and packed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, her eyes landed on the pill bottle on the study desk and she sighed.

"Dammit Beca," she grumbled as she shoved the bottle into her bag and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Stomping down the stairs she rushed across the foyer and out the door, completely oblivious to the curious gazes of Fat Amy, Stacie and Cynthia Rose, who had been watching tv and eating breakfast.

"Something tells me that practice is going to be a bitch today," Fat Amy said as she took another bite of her toast. Stacie whined as she slouched down in her seat while Cynthia Rose slapped a cushion to her face and groaned into it. Emily appeared from the kitchen and glanced it each of the occupants of the living room, a bowl of cereal in her hand.

"What'd I miss?" she asked. Stacie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest before looking at the legacy. "Just the hasty exit of our captains and what should've been a tension free afternoon of practice." Amy sighed, "On the plus side, if they spend the entire practice arguing, we won't have any cardio training, which I happen to think is a big win." The girls all hummed agreement as they all went about their business.

Sitting under one of the large trees littered around campus that offered shade from the Georgia humidity, Beca finished up the latest arrangements for Bella's practice and shut her laptop, wrapping her headphones around her neck and plugging the cable into her phone. It was in that moment that she spotted the text from Chloe.

'Where are you? You forget your medication this morning! 3 Chloe'

"Shit," Beca groaned as she realised she had in fact forgotten her medication having stormed out of the house to get away from her girlfriend and their discussion. Checking the time she noted that she didn't have time to dash home and decided she would be fine until after practice. The pills made her feel sluggish during cardio days anyways. Just as that thought crossed her mind, the scent of a familiar perfume caught her attention and she glanced up to see her girlfriend standing over her.

"Here," Chloe said as she held out the pill bottle. Beca gazed at her and reached up to accept it. "Thanks," she replied as she took a hold of it and opened the cap, removing one of the pills and popping it in her mouth, washing it down with some water from the bottle she'd stashed in her bag. Putting the cap back on the pill bottle, she shoved it into her bag along with her laptop and then stood up, brushing off any dirt or grass from her jeans.

"I'm sorry okay. I shouldn't have walked out like that," Beca said, shoving her hands into her back pockets. Chloe acknowledged the apology but her only response came in the form of a head nod. That was a sure fire sign that she was upset with Beca as the redhead usually expressed every single emotion with a verbal response, unless she felt that it was pointless or she was really annoyed or upset. Mainly because she knew it drove Beca crazy and made her cave into whatever Chloe wanted. The DJ huffed in annoyance, because she knew she'd lost.

"Okay fine! You wanna have a serious talk, we'll have a serious talk," Beca said, her voice clearly displaying her resignation. Chloe visibly perked up at this and stepped closer, pulling Beca's hands from her pockets and linking them with her own. "Bec, I know I've been pushing this a lot lately, but it's only because I want you to be as healthy as possible. You're kind of important to me doofus," Chloe chuckled, and it coaxed a grin out of Beca.

"You're kind of important to me too," Beca responded before gently tugging the redhead closer and leaning up to kiss her. Chloe eagerly responded before a passing classmate called out to her, breaking the moment. Glancing over Beca's shoulder she noticed that it was Emily from her Russian Lit class and that if she didn't want to fail the class again, she'd better get a move on.

"I'll see you at practice," she said, pecking Beca on the lips once more before dashing across the grass and catching up to her classmate. Beca watched on until her girlfriend was out of sight before checking the time again and realising that she was due at the radio station before her last class before practice. Putting her headphones on, she pressed play on her phones music player and then headed off.

That afternoon, the Bella's filed into the rehearsal hall, all coming from their various classes or wherever they had been before. Chloe was stood by the whiteboard, dressed in her workout clothes, drawing up their schedule for the day. From what some of the girls could tell, she seemed happier than when she'd left that morning, brining them to the conclusion that the redhead had obviously sorted out whatever was going between her and her girlfriend.

"Okay guys, everybody warm up, we'll get started as soon as..." just as she was about to finish, Beca came bursting through the door hopping up on down on one foot as she tried to pull on her sneaker, her bag hanging haphazardly from her shoulder and her hair tied up in a ponytail with a braid in the side. Dashing up to the piano, she dumped her bag on it and pulled out her laptop.

"Sorry I'm late, the new freshmen radio interns showed up late," she explained as she fired up her laptop so she could begin playing the arrangements for the songs she had been working on. Chloe just shook her head and smiled, "Bec it's fine, relax. We haven't even started yet." Beca shot her small smile before focusing back on her laptop. Stacie glanced between the redhead and the brunette before leaning in to whisper to Fat Amy.

"What are the odds of them letting us bail early so we can catch Game of Thrones?" she said and Amy watched the interactions between the captains before responding. "Well, if they've really made up, my guess is they'll be too busy thinking about bumping uglies to really care about practice." Emily, who had been listening to what the girls were talk about scrunched up her nose at that. She really didn't want the image of what went on behind closed Bella doors in her mind.

"Did you guys hear that?" Flo suddenly interjected. Everyone glanced at her with curious gazes. "Hear what?" Cynthia Rose asked, and just as the words left her mouth, a cracking sound rang out. Panicked eyes darted all around the room as Chloe moved over towards Beca and gripped her hand, the girls exchanging looks.

"Was that..." Chloe started and Beca shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, "I don't know, I..."

'Crack' 'Bang'

"OH MY GOD," Emily shouted as realisation began to sink in. Somebody had opened fire at Barden, and they were caged in like sitting ducks in the rehearsal hall, too scared to move, and too uncertain of the outcome if they tried to flee. They could hear rushing around from students outside on the quad through the open windows as more gunfire rang out.

"We need to get out of here," Stacie said as she jumped out from her seat. Emily instantly shook her heard. "Are you crazy? If we go out there whoever is doing this could take us out," she shouted. "And if we stay in here and they find us, it will be a free for all. We're boxed in, we have nowhere to hide!" Stacie yelled back, their voices rising as the two girls continued their back and forth exchange, the other girls occasionally throwing in their two cents. They were losing the run of themselves and their raised voices were just begging for someone to find them, so Beca decided to step up and pull everyone into order.

"GUY'S!" she whispered harshly as she approached the group, her hand still linked with Chloe's who followed right behind, "Will you all stop shouting, you're just drawing attention to the fact that we're in he..." Before she could finish her sentence a shot rang out, but this time it was too close for comfort and all the girls jumped. Chloe pressed herself right up against her girlfriends back

"Bec," she mumbled, her voice wavering as her fear in that moment was made evident at the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor outside the entrance door. Suddenly it struck Beca, they now knew which direction the shooter was coming from, meaning they could use the emergency door on the other side of the hall to make a break for it.

"Dudes," she whispered, gaining everyone's attention. Without another word, she pointed her finger towards the emergency exit. The rest of the Bella's seemed to understand and as quietly as they could, they began making their way towards the double doors, but as they made it half way across, the doors of the main entrance were kicked in, it was too late.

"Barden Bella's," the voice of the young man growled, as he raised his gun and, without a second thought began pulling the trigger, shooting in various directions, not really picking a specific target, just hoping he hit something. The Bella's all dashed around the room, trying desperately to find cover in any nook and cranny they could find. A scream sounded out as Cynthia Rose took a hit to the leg.

A breathy squeal escaped Flo as a bullet grazed her arm and Ashley and Jessica both screamed when a stray ricocheted off a support beam and whizzed pass them, lodging itself in the wall. Beca could see Chloe from her position across the way near Fat Amy, having been separated while dashing for cover. Glancing up, her heart seized as she realised, the shooter was aiming his gun in her girlfriends direction and Chloe seemed to notice too as tears cascaded down her face.

Without a second thought, Beca jumped up from her position and made a run for Chloe. She knew she wouldn't make it, what she was counting on, was the shooter changing target, and as if sensing her wish, he repositioned his gun and pulled the trigger, once, twice, three times, before the clip emptied and he released it from its slot, letting it drop to the ground and reloading and then turning on his heel and leaving, looking for a different set of targets.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Beca could feel herself running, she could hear the sound of gun fire and then, it was like everything just stopped. She registered the wind being knocked from her lungs as something seemed to find home in her chest. She recalled the sound of her name being screamed and then her knees hitting the ground as she fell to the floor. And then she realised, she'd been shot.

"BECA!" Chloe screamed as she dashed out from where she had been trying to take cover and crashed to her knees beside her prone girlfriend, as the other Bella's split up, some rushing to their fallen co-captain, the others rushing over to the other injured Bella's. Blood was gushing from Beca's shot wound and was beginning to pool in her mouth, she was in criticial condition with no idea if they could get help.

"Beca, babe," Chloe cried as she stroked her girlfriends hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead before turning her attention to the wound, tears falling from her eyes as she tried to figure out what to do. "We n- we need to ap-apply pressure," she mumbled as she roughly grabbed the shirt tied around her waist and pulled it off, placing it over Beca's chest and pressing her hands over it, making sure she was using enough force to try stem the flow.

"Ch-chlo," Beca rasped, eyes trying to focus on something, anything, as her chest began to feel like it was on fire. She felt the overwhelming urge to cough and she spluttered in a feeble attempt to relieve the urge, more blood pooling in her mouth before dripping down the side of her cheek. Chloe reached up one hand and stroked her girlfriends cheek.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna get you help okay," Chloe tried to sooth as she wiped the tears from her eyes and then again rested it on Beca's cheek. "I love you so much," she whispered, pressing her lips to a pale forehead, lingering there before gazing down into dark denim coloured eyes. Beca weakly raised a hand to rest over the one applying pressure to her chest.

"I-I...l-love...you...t-too," Beca managed to get out before her eyes began to close, sending everyone around her into a panic. "Beca, Beca keep your eyes open. Beca, BECA!" Chloe shouted as the other girls tried desperately to get medical attention to them by shouting at the people at the end of their 911 calls. But with the shooter still on the loose, all they could do was hope.

 **A/N: Apologise if I got any medical stuff wrong. I'm not an expert so I don't know the in's and out's and most of it is purely for dramatic effect anyways.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites. Again apologise for any medical inaccuracies. As I said, I'm not expert. Anyways hope you enjoy.**

They were surrounded, only this time, it was by men carrying rifles and wearing bulletproof vests with S.W.A.T on the back and front, dashing around the hall making sure it was safe and secure. They vaguely heard the sound of one man, the leader, giving the all clear and then requesting for immediate medical assistance for three casualties, two stable one critical. The only other sound, was that of a hysterical redhead trying desperately to keep her girlfriend with her.

"Beca, c'mon open your eyes. C'mon Becs, help is on the way, stay with me," Chloe cried as she adjusted the pressure over the wound. She was aware of the presence of two members of the S.W.A.T team hovering over her but she never took her eyes off her girlfriend. Terrified that if she looked away, even for a second, that Beca would be gone.

The other Bella's watched on helplessly, knowing there was nothing they could do. They were scared for their captain, even Cynthia Rose who was dealing with her own leg wound knew that by comparison, her issues were superficial. But Beca, nothing about her situation was simple or straight forward. The tiny brunette had taken a bullet to the chest. There was no movement from her, no sign of life, she was unresponsive to everything, including her girlfriends heart crushing pleas for her to hold on and to keep fighting.

The sound of rattling from outside caught most of their attention and they turned just in time to see two sets of paramedics entering the hall with two trolleys. The first unit split up and made their way towards Cynthia Rose and Flo, while the second unit made their way straight towards Beca, the critical case that needed the most attention.

Chloe vaguely heard the requests by the paramedics to move out of the way so they could help, but the redhead was having a hard time removing herself from her current position. Beca's hand was till resting over her own and Chloe was afraid that if she let go, that Beca would let go too. But the paramedics insisted, they needed to help the fallen brunette and they couldn't do it with Chloe in the way.

So, with a deep reluctance weighing heavy on her heart, Chloe removed her hands and watched as they were replaced by a gloved pair that worked immediately on assessing the damage and stemming the flow. While the paramedics worked on keeping Beca's barely there pulse and heartbeat pumping, the Chloe moved around so that she was kneeling by her girlfriends head, gently stroking her hair and whispering reassurances that everything would be fine. Because it would be. Because it had to be.

As the paramedics worked on trying to stabilise Beca before attempting to move her, the other Bella's were evacuated from the building. A SWAT member tried several times to encourage Chloe to leave with them, but she wouldn't hear of it. She wasn't going anywhere unless Beca was going with her. It was in that moment that the people surrounding her realised that the redhead and the brunette were probably more than just friends and against their better judgement, they let her stay.

The world outside the rehearsal hall was pandemonium with news crews, police officers, emergency services and general onlookers crowding the pavements outside. Cynthia Rose was wheeled out on a trolley, unable to walk because of her leg wound with Flo walking next to her, her arm bandaged and strapped up. From a distance they heard their names being called and glanced up to see Aubrey Posen rushing towards them with Jesse, Benji and Bumper hot on her heels.

"Oh my God, are you guys okay? I came as soon as I saw what happened on the news," the blonde said as she glanced over the group, especially the two injured parties. Aubrey lived in the next town over just outside of the lodge she ran. The job kept her busy but the proximity to Barden allowed her to drop in and out and visit her Bella's. After a moment of taking in the group she realised something major was amiss.

"Where are Chloe and Beca?" she asked, her voice sounding panicked as the worst case scenario raced through her mind. There had already been numerous casualties and several fatalities on campus and Aubrey and the others were terrified that somebody they knew was amongst them. As her stomach began to bottom out at the lack of responses coming from the traumatised group, there was suddenly the sound of paramedics rushing people out of the way as they wheeled a trolley quickly out of the rehearsal hall and down the pathway towards the numerous ambulance trucks.

They all glanced around to see the paramedics from earlier urgently rushing a trolley being occupied by Beca towards one of the trucks, a grief stricken redhead running alongside it keeping a tight grip on a lifeless pale hand. Aubrey raised a hand to her mouth in shock at the sight of the tiny DJ, thick white padded bandages taped tightly to her now semi exposed chest, soaked in blood and a tube down her throat connected to a manual oxygen pump supplying her air by the hand of a medic.

"Chloe," Aubrey called out, moving in the direction of her best friend. The redhead glanced in the direction of the blonde briefly, her tear stained face piercing through Aubrey's heart, before she climbed into the back of the ambulance. Aubrey watched as the doors of the ambulance were closed and it sped off towards the local hospital and in that moment, Aubrey snapped back into her old Bella captain mode, knowing exactly where they needed to be.

"Stacie, you go with CR in the ambulance, Emily you go with Flo, Jesse and I will take everyone else in our cars, okay now let's move," she ordered and everyone split up, more than eager to be with their co-captains than anywhere else. After surviving through a shooting, they all felt the need to support one another now more than ever. And with Beca's grave condition, they needed to do everything they could to keep both their captains afloat.

When the ambulance pulled up into the hospital bay, the medics launched out of the truck at lightning speed and were instantly met by a trauma team waiting to get to work. Chloe barely had time to register what was going on until she saw Beca being moved and, as if on autopilot, her feet began to trail after the medical team who were charged with keeping the DJ alive.

She couldn't take anything in, there was too much noise, too much commotion going on around her, but her feet kept moving right alongside her girlfriends trolley, trying to stay close without interfering with whatever the medical team around her were doing. Just as they reached a set of double doors at the end of the hall a nurse suddenly blocked her path, keeping her from following Beca.

"I'm sorry but you can't go any further," the older woman said as she placed a hand against the redhead's shoulder. Chloe shook her head from side to side as she tried to keep moving forward towards the doors that separated her from her girlfriend. "N-no I have to be with her she needs me," Chloe said, trying to get around the nurse who was having none of it.

"I understand that but you can't go back there, the doctors need to do everything they can to help your friend." This was not what Chloe wanted to hear as she ran her hands through her hair, fighting against the onslaught of tears that just continued to fall. "She's not my friend she's my girlfriend," Chloe shouted back, frustrated more with the situation than the inaccurate labelling of her relationship with the girl she was head over heels in love with.

"Please, I-I have to be with her, I can't leave her alone. Beca hates hospitals, she needs me to be there with her," Chloe said, her voice taking on a pleading tone as she all but got on her knees and begged to be allowed through. But the nurse just sighed. She had seen this situation play out hundreds of times before and it always broke her heart, but the doctors needed to work on saving lives and they couldn't do that with hysterical loved ones invading their space, it wasn't practical or ethical.

"I'm sorry, but you can't be in there," the nurse said and Chloe bowed her head as more tears fell at those words. "I promise as soon as there's any news I'll come find you." With that, the nurse turned on her heel and buzzed herself through the double doors before disappearing out of sight. As Chloe watched, she felt herself beginning to shake, her tears progressing from silent tracks down her cheeks into gut wrenching sobs as her knees began to buckle and give way. Before she could hit the floor, a warm pair of arms wrapped around her and held her up, holding her tight and whispering reassuring words.

"It's okay, she's gonna be okay Chlo," Aubrey whispered, her voice wet with tears as she held her best friend tight and tried to console her. Realistically she knew her statement was nothing more than wishful thinking on her part, Beca was seriously injured and in critical condition, but if giving Chloe the comfort of hope kept her from completely falling apart then she would. She would just deal with the fallout later if it so happened to come her way.

After a few more moments passed, Aubrey guided her from towards the doctors lounge that one of the doctors she had met on the way in, had been kind enough to give her access to so she could get Chloe to shower and change her clothes. Jesse was already waiting inside, sitting in a chair with a rucksack at his feet. Upon hearing them enter he stood up and allowed Aubrey to seat her best friend. The redhead just sat there, eyes unblinking staring at the far wall, her hands cradled to her chest.

"Chloe, c'mon you need to take a shower," Aubrey said as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her friends' ear. At the word shower, Chloe glanced down at herself and realised she was covered in blood. But it wasn't her blood, it was Beca's blood, and the thought made her stomach twist in knots, her heart rate picking up as she began to hyperventilate. Before Jesse or Aubrey could register what was happening, Chloe had bolted out of the seat and was tugging furiously at her clothes.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she cried as she practically tore her tank top from her body and tossed it away, rushing towards the showers and stepping inside, her bra, shorts and trainers still on. Chloe frantically twisted at the knob until hot water was raining down on top of her and then she scrubbed furiously at the blood coating her hands and face from where she had accidentally rubbed it on while trying to stop her tears.

Aubrey dashed into the area where the shower stalls were and at the sight of her best friend, she choked down a sob. Never in her life had she seen Chloe this broken and it scared her. Because if Beca didn't pull through, she didn't know what would become of her best friend. She knew Chloe loved the DJ, it would take an idiot not to see it. But it was in this moment that Aubrey realised just how much.

Beca wasn't just a lover to Chloe, she was everything. Her best friend, her soulmate, the other half that completed her. Loving Beca was like breathing air to Chloe, she did it without realising and without her, it was like she was suffocating. Aubrey would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous. Sure she and Beca still butted heads from time to time, they were just so different, but the way Beca looked at Chloe and loved her like she was the only person in existence, Aubrey couldn't help but be envious of what her best friend had.

But Aubrey would never begrudge Chloe that happiness, because if anyone deserved it, it was Chloe. She just hoped that someday, she would have that with somebody too. Seeing that Chloe was now free of any red stains, the blonde decided to intervene before the redhead scrubbed flesh from her body with her incessant rubbing.

Reaching over Chloe's shoulder, Aubrey turned off the water and then wrapped a soft towel around her friend, softly rubbing her up and down to dry her off before guiding her out of the stall and back into the lounge. Jesse stopped his pacing as soon as he saw them return and, seeing that Chloe needed some privacy, he handed Aubrey the rucksack that held the clean set of clothes, and then left the lounge.

"C'mon let's get you changed huh," Aubrey coaxed, grabbing the clean clothes from the rucksack and handing them to Chloe. As if the redhead had suddenly realised where she was she placed her hand on top of Aubrey's to stop her from removing the towel. "N-no. It's okay, I can do it," she whispered. Aubrey just nodded and passed her the clothes. Chloe quickly changed out of the wet clothes she had kept on in the shower, towelled off and redressed in the clean clothes, a simple jeans and sweatshirt combo with some Chuck's on her feet.

She dried her hair with a hair dryer that was lying around near the shower stalls and then tied it up in a messy bun. When she was finally ready, Aubrey guided her out of the room and headed in the direction of the family waiting room she had been told about earlier. Chloe walked with her hands crossed tightly over her chest and upon entering the room, she was stunned by the sight of all the Bella's plus Bumper, Benji, Jesse and a slew of parents dotted around, including Warren Mitchell and Beca's stepmother.

"Chloe," a voice called out and the redhead glanced up to see Kate Beale rushing towards her with outstretched arms. "Mom," Chloe mumbled out as she ran into her mothers' arms and allowed her tears to fall. Kate held her daughter close, stroking her hair as Chloe's father David stroked her back and pressed a kiss to the side of his daughters head.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Kate cooed as she leaned back so she could look her daughter in the eyes, her hands reaching up to cup pale cheeks in her palms. Chloe jerkily nodded her head as tears pooled in her eyes. "B-Beca, she, she saved me," Chloe managed to get out, her tears spilling down her face at the memory of what her girlfriend had done. David rested his hand on his daughter shoulder and squeezed it in a comforting manner.

"I always knew I liked that girl," he said, earning a very brief small smile form Chloe before the redhead's attention fell on Warren and she moved away from her parents and towards the man, taking a seat in the empty chair next to her. Warren was sitting back in the chair leaning on one elbow on the arm of the chair while the other rested on the other arm. Chloe reached out and rested her hand over his, causing him to look up into pained ocean blue eyes.

"Beca sa-," Chloe stopped mid-sentence as she choked around a sob that was trying to escape, "She saved my life," she uttered out, desperate for Warren to know and understand his daughters heroic actions. The gazed at her for a moment, as if trying to take in what she had said and eventually, it sank in, and when it did, he squeezed Chloe's hand before reaching over and embracing her. His daughter had willingly put her life on the line for this girl, the least he could do was take care of her until Beca was able to do it herself. And she would do it again, because any other outcome was unacceptable to everyone in the room.

As time ticked away, the Bella's, the Trebles and all the parents and friends tried to keep morale up, a difficult feat when news was still flooding in from the shooting, so much so that David Beale out of frustration and annoyance shut off the tv in the corner of the room that was broadcasting live news reports. The last thing all the kids needed was a constant reminder of the horrific event they had just been through.

Sheila, Beca's stepmother, and Kate, along with Benji and Bumper, all had made a food run, knowing that it had been hours since anyone had eaten. Nobody was feeling particularly hungry when it was suggested, but once the food arrived, they suddenly realised they were famished and were grateful for it in the end. Flo had joined them longer after, having been discharged.

Her wound had been pretty superficial, just a couple of stitches and a light bandage and she was discharged. Not long after she was followed by Cynthia Rose who had discharged herself so she could be with her sisters. Luckily for her, the bullet hadn't hit any major arteries or bone and after removing the bullet and stitching up the wound, she had been told that she would need plenty of rest and two weeks on some crutches to keep the pressure off.

But still there had been no word on Beca and Chloe was going crazy. She kept gazing down at the ring on her finger, hoping that her girlfriend remembered the promise she had made and that it would somehow pull her through. However longer they went without news, the more terrified she became and she was beginning to grow restless.

"It shouldn't be taking this long," she said, as she gazed up at the clock, drawing the attention of Jesse who had been sitting beside her, offering her up his shoulder to cry on or as a pillow to sleep on, whatever she needed. Even though he and Beca had broken up a long time ago, they had remained close friends. In fact the tiny DJ was his closest friend next to Benji.

She was the first person he had connected with at Barden and that bond was important to him. Even though they hadn't worked out, he was glad they had been able to remain friends, best friends in fact, and that meant a lot to him. When Beca had told him about how she felt about Chloe, he had been completely supportive. He really liked Chloe and he could see how good she was for Beca so he knew that he had a duty to his best friend to take care of her girl and make sure she didn't fall apart.

"Hey," he said, ducking down his head so they were eye level, "The fact that it is taking this long is a good thing. It means Beca's fighting, she'll be back with us in no time," he said with a small grin. Chloe smiled at what he said because it made sense, if something had happened they would've been told by now. In that moment she was grateful for Jesse's unwavering optimism. She nodded her head to acknowledge that she had heard him and then returned her attention to her hands, more specifically her promise ring. Her girl was fighting, for her, for them, for their future.

As if somebody had hit a mute button, the chatter around the room suddenly fell silent, so much so that it would've been possible to hear a pin drop. Chloe was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Warren Mitchell rise from his seat and his caught her attention. Glancing up, she immediately caught sight of a man crossing the room in a pair of dark navy blue scrubs, a surgical cap in his hand, Beca's doctor.

"Are you the family of Rebeca Mitchell?" he asked, slightly stunned by the sheer volume of people in the room. Warren instantly crossed the room to meet the doctor, followed closely by Chloe, Sheila, and Chloe's parents. "I'm Beca's father, this is my daughter's girlfriend," Warren said, gesturing to Chloe who was stood right next to him.

"As you know, Rebeca's condition was critical when they brought her in. The bullet penetrated chest cavity and her heart and ruptured an artery, which is what caused the massive blood loss. We managed to retrieve the bullet and repair the rupture, but I don't think I need to tell you how grave this situation is," the doctor said, his face taking on a serious expression as he gazed directly at Warren and Chloe before glancing briefly at everybody else.

"The fact that she's made it this far, is a miracle, especially with her condition and I'm not going to lie to you, she arrested twice on the table. We've had to give her a blood transfusion to compensate for the blood loss and we had to place a stent in the damaged artery," he explained as he toyed with the cap he was holding. Chloe meanwhile raised a hand to her mouth to stifle her cries, it was a lot to take in and wrap her head around.

"We've done everything we can, but now, it's up to Beca to do the rest," he finished, waiting for the inevitable question that always came next. Warren rubbed his hand over the top of his head as he digested the news before resting against the back of his neck. "Can we see her?" he asked. The doctor nodded as he gestured to the nurse who was waiting nearby, the one Chloe had met upon arrival.

"She's in intensive care right now, Nurse Miller will bring you up. I'm afraid it's family only at this point," the doctor said and Chloe was about to protest when Warren placed a comforting hand on her back. "She is family and I would be grateful if you and your staff could treat her as such," he said, and Chloe smiled up at him, thankful for what he had said.

The doctor nodded his head respectfully and gestured for Nurse Miller to lead the way. Warren and Chloe followed her out the door, the Bella's asking them to pass on their love as they left. The walk seemed to take forever and the ride up in the elevator was torturous for Chloe, but she used the time to pull herself together. She needed to be strong, for Beca.

Once they arrived on the floor, they followed the nurse toward the ICU and then passed her by as they stepped inside. On the other side of the double doors was short corridor lined with six individual rooms, a nurses reception just inside the entrance. The nurse guided them down the corridor and stopped outside the second door on the right. Warren walked straight on but Chloe, she stopped for a moment, bracing herself for what was to come before finally, taking that first step.

What graced her eyes, shattered her. Nothing could've prepared her for what was staring back at her. There on the bed, was the girl she loved more than anything, more than she loved music, more than she loved singing, more than she loved being a Bella. Right there on that bed, wrapped up in more wires than any person she ever play home to, was the person she had invested her entire future in.

Making her way across the room, Chloe came to a stop right next to the vacant side of her girlfriends. She glanced at all the machines, the heart monitor that was tracking the rhythm of Beca's heart, slowly tracking a line up and down with each beat. The oxygen machine that was supplying oxygen through the tube down the DJ's throat. The lines that were feeding her blood, food and other fluids that the damaged body before her needed to sustain human life.

Chloe also knew that somewhere underneath all the covers was a line that was removing waste from Beca's body into a bag that was hanging somewhere under the bed covers out of sight of visitors. And the Chloe glanced at Beca's chest and through the thin material of her hospital gown, she could make out the thick padded bandaging that was covering most of her girlfriends chest only, unlike the bandages from the ambulance, they were probably still relatively clean, save for some minor post up bleeding.

Finally, blue eyes settled on the pale, lifeless face of the girl who had so selflessly put herself in harms way to save her life. The face of the girl who had unintentionally walked into Chloe's life on the quad of Barden University three years ago, an event that would eventually lead them on the path to becoming the lovers they now where. Back then, Chloe never would've imagined that the distant, sarcastic alt girl would become her whole world.

But Beca had. She'd wormed her way into Chloe's heart and the redhead never wanted her to leave. The DJ had set up home there with her talent, her wit, her loyalty and it was where she belonged. Taking a seat in the chair Warren had pulled up for her, Chloe sat down and hesitantly reached out and gently grabbed a hold of Beca's hand, cradling it between her own and bringing it to her lips, pressing a loving kiss to it.

"I'm here Bec's, I'm right here," she whispered, her eyes tracing over her girlfriends facial features as if memorising them. Though Chloe didn't need to, she knew every inch of that face so well she was convinced that if someone were to blindfold her and make her guess who was standing in front of her by touch alone, she would know Beca the second her fingers came in contact with her soft skin. She couldn't count the number of hours she had spent gazing over Beca's face as she slept in the early hours of the morning if she tried. Only this time, the DJ wasn''t simply sleeping.

After about an hour, Warren decided to go grab some coffee and stretch his legs. He also needed to check in with Beca's mother to see where she was, leaving the redhead alone with her for the first time in what felt like days. Beca's mother was in Italy on a wine tasting vacation with some friends so they knew it would take her the best part of a day or more to get to Georgia. Once Chloe heard the door to the room close over she turned her full attention to Beca.

"Hey baby, it's me," Chloe said, hugging the DJ's hand to her chest and and leaning in closer. "You know what you did today was really stupid," she stated, deciding that if she was going to talk to Beca she would talk to her how she normally did, and that included chastising her when she was reckless, but it was only because she cared. "You took a bullet for me and I don't know if I should be mad at you or grateful that you care so much. I think I'm a little of both," she sighed as a tear made its way down her cheek.

"God I just, I love you so much Bec's. You're everything to me and I know, I know I make you promise me lots of things and that you always see them through which is why I need you to promise me this, cause this is the one that counts the most," Chloe said, her voice taking on a serious tone, "I need you to promise me that you'll pull through this and that you'll get better. Cause I can't do this without you. I can't face existing in a world that doesn't have you in it."

Glancing down at the locket that hung from her neck, Chloe opened it up and gazed down at the picture staring back at her. It was her favourite picture of her and Beca on the redhead's birthday. As a surprise, Beca had secured all access passes to a Kelly Clarkson concert, thanks to the record label she was interning at who had decided to rewarded her for her work. She could've had her pick of events, but Beca chose Kelly Clarkson because she knew how much Chloe loved her and thought it would be an epic surprise,

And it was. Chloe got to meet a woman she had idolised for years and after finally calming her nerves, was even able to have a conversation with her. It had been the best birthday gift ever and Beca had promised her that night, that when she became a big time music producer, she would introduce Chloe to all of her music idols as long as she promised not to have a meltdown and pull an Aubrey by projectile vomiting everywhere.

Releasing Beca's hand, Chloe removed the necklace from around her neck and then stood up, leaning over towards the headboard of the bed. Finding the little hand rail, she looped the necklace around it and secured it in place, allowing the locket to dangle next to Beca's head. Leaning down, Chloe pressed a long lingering kiss to her unconscious girlfriends' forehead and then wiped the tears from her eyes before reclaiming her seat and taking a hold of the hand she had been clinging to.

"Come back to me Bec's."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Sorry for being MIA. A lot has been going on lately and life has just gotten in the way recently and it's been difficult to find the motivation and inspiration to write, but I'm trying to work it out. I've just got so many other issues on my plate right now. Anyways I just want to thank everyone who has followed or added this story to their favourites, I really appreciate it and please, keep reviewing, I love hearing your thoughts.**

There was an eerie feeling around Barden University. A week had passed since the shooting and people were trying to move forward and get on with things, but it was difficult. How could anyone make sense of a tragedy like the one they had lived through. A few days after the event had happened, the university had held a day of remembrance for those who had been killed, and offered up prayers for those recovering in hospital.

Chloe hadn't left Beca's side, fearful that something bad would happen when she wasn't looking or that Beca would wake up without her there and she couldn't let that happen. She knew how much the DJ hated hospitals and she couldn't stand the thought of her girlfriend waking up alone after what she'd been through.

To make matters worse, Beca had been rushed into emergency surgery two days after her last surgery so that doctors could remove a blood clot that was restricting blood flow to her heart. It wasn't ideal to have to operate so soon, especially given how extensive the last operation had been and how delicate the heart muscle was, but when medication had failed to shrink the clot, they were left with no other option.

It had put everyone on edge, none more so than the redhead who had been keeping a bedside vigil. After doctors had explained that it was up to Beca as to when she would come around, Chloe had given up begging her to open her eyes. The DJ needed time to recover and after what she had done for the ginger, taking a bullet that had been intended for her, Chloe would give her all the time in the world. She just hoped Beca wouldn't make her wait too long, and that no more complications would arise.

After spending several days in the hospital, Aubrey and Chloe's parents decided it was time for the redhead to take a break. She was exhausted and was in need of a good sleep a decent meal and a hot shower. They had catered to her desire to be by Beca's side for long enough, Chloe needed to get out of the hospital and recharge her batteries.

To say that it had been a struggle persuading her to leave would be an understatement. Chloe had steadfastly refused time and time again until finally, after Fat Amy had made a comment about the ginger beginning to smell, she realised that maybe she could use a good shower. Maybe while she was home she could grab something decent to eat and grab a few essentials for Beca, for when she came round. With the promise to call as soon as anything changed made by all the parents, Chloe had kissed Beca and left with Aubrey and the Bellas.

She had to admit that after the shower she did feel a little better, and she greatly appreciated Aubrey cooking up her delicious chicken pasta bake, it really reenergised her. But she did have a moment, while alone in the solitude of hers and Beca's shared room where she allowed herself a little cry. She couldn't help it. She had been sitting at desk brushing her hair when her eyes landed on the goofy photo booth pictures she'd forced Beca into taking with her.

She remembered the day so vividly, Beca's frown when Chloe had suggested the idea, the small quirk of her lips when she began to cave to the idea because of Chloe's pout, and the beaming smile when Chloe kissed her in the last picture. Then she was pulled back to reality when from downstairs she heard the tv in the living room broadcasting news on the shooting and it all came flooding back to her.

Beca on the ground bleeding profusely from the chest. The weak grip she possessed as she gripped onto the gingers hand as Chloe whispered reassurances and words of love. The feeling of fear when the DJ's eyes closed and her grip slackened. The anxiety that took over as she waited through hours of surgery to hear any word of life. And finally, the conflicted feelings of relief and heartbreak at the sight of the tiny brunette swamped by the hospital bed, the machines and the wires.

Chloe knew there was every chance that Beca's heart could give out. It was one thing for the body to try to heal after a gunshot when it was completely healthy and fighting fit. But Beca's heart had already been troubled and plagued with difficulties before this whole ordeal. Even with the stent and the surgical repairs, there was no guarantee that she would pull through. But, every day that the DJ made it through, Chloe grew more and more hopeful.

Before returning to the hospital, Chloe as well as Aubrey and the Bella's, made their way over to the college campus. The redhead hadn't set foot near it since the shooting but she wanted to stop by the memorial and pay her respects to the students who had lost their lives. The overwhelming sense of anguish and despair that flooded Barden and the students who milled about was impossible to miss and Chloe almost regretted making the trip.

But when they had reached the memorial out on the quad, she was glad that she hadn't bottled out. Hundreds of flowers and candles incased in glass lanterns adorned the surrounding area where several students had lost their lives. It was both heartbreaking and uplifting in a weird way.

To be standing on ground where people had so needlessly lost their lives and to be looking at the physical outpouring of love and support, it was strange, there were so many conflicting feelings attached. None of the Bella's knew what to think or feel. All they knew was the terror they felt that faithful day and the overwhelming sense of devastation that had consumed them when one of their own had fallen at the hands of a maniac wielding a gun.

The shooter had been revealed to have been a student on campus, a senior who was alleged to have had a disturbing fascination with previous high school and college massacres and the idea of becoming infamous. The shooting was believed to have been planned for at least two years beforehand and police authorities claimed that the shooter had no specific target or motive.

This alone had been enough to cause a sickening knot to form in Chloe's stomach. The thought that someone could just pick up a gun and take aim at innocent people for no reason at all. It made everything hurt just that little bit more because there was no justification behind it, there were no excuses being made or doctors claiming mental illness. The shooter had picked up a gun and killed and seriously injured so many people, for what?

Chloe was never one to hate anyone or anything, she even disliked the word because she thought it to be vulgar and ugly. But in that rehearsal hall, holding her girlfriend in her arms and willing her to hold on and live, she had never hated anyone as much as she had hated that shooter. She couldn't even bear to see his face on the news because of the feelings of rage that bubbled up inside her.

She had never thought it possible to feel something so horrible towards another human being, but she did, and she couldn't deal with it. So she did the only thing she could think of to keep herself from losing control, she focused all her energy into Beca, on willing her better and revelling in the love they shared. That was what kept Chloe going.

As a little girl, the redhead had often dreamed of finding someone who would love her unconditionally. What she never expected, was to find someone who would literally take a bullet for her. Chloe knew Beca loved her, she had never questioned it. But to see just how much, it took Chloe's breath away.

She had always known, from the moment they had finally started dating, that she could never love someone as much as she loved Beca. But since the shooting, Chloe realised that not only did she love her so completely, but she couldn't live without her. She couldn't imagine a world without Beca Mitchell in it.

"It's so sad," Emily said as she leaned down on her haunches and read the note attached to a teddy bear sitting amongst the array of flowers and candles. Cynthia Rose leaned heavily on her crutches and placed a hand on the younger girls shoulder as the other Bella's milled about. Aubrey stayed close to Chloe, rubbing a comforting hand along her back

"It just doesn't seem real. Like it's all just a dream and any minute we're going to wake up and everything will be fine," Fat Amy replied, shaking her head in disbelief that it was in fact reality, that this was their life. Feeling the lingering gazes of students around the quad staring at her in sympathy, Chloe to fidget anxiously with her hands. She'd had enough.

"I'm gonna head back to the house to grab some things for Beca and then head over to the hospital. You guys should rest up it's been a long couple of days," she said crossing her arms over chest as she glanced at all the Bella's. Before she could say anything else or even leave, there was a chorus of "no's" and "no way," and she frowned slightly as she gazed at her fellow Bella's curiously. Stacie was the first to speak up.

"If you're going we're all going. We're a team and Beca's our captain, we wanna support her," she said. The other Bella's nodded and small smile passed Chloe's lips as Aubrey wrapped her arm around her shoulders and squeezed them tight. "You're not getting rid of us Chlo, we're here for you and Beca." At those words Chloe's ocean blue eyes welled up with tears and she leaned into Aubrey's side, relishing in the close contact.

"Okay, let's go then," Chloe replied making a move as she led the way across campus and back towards the street that was home the Bella house. She made quick work of packing a bag with essentials for Beca if, no, when she woke up, she even made sure to pack her girlfriends laptop and mixing equipment should she feel the need to mix some beats. The items had initially been pulled from the rehearsal hall by the cops but had thankfully been returned the day before.

Sure that she had everything, she carried the bags downstairs where the other Bella's had been waiting and made her way outside to Aubrey's car, more than eager to get back to the one place she wanted to be. In the time she had been away there had been no phone calls or texts, which was a good thing, it meant that nothing bad had happened. But, it also meant that Beca still hadn't come round and that was more than a little disheartening.

When they reached the hospital, Chloe was met by her mother and father and Beca's stepmother, as well as Beca's mother Libby who she hadn't seen since Christmas. Placing the bags down she embraced the other woman who hugged her back just as tightly while the other Bella's all settled in and Aubrey and Chloe's dad popped out to make a food run.

"I'm so sorry," Chloe whispered, still hugging Libby. The elder woman took a step back and gripped the redhead by the upper arms, a stern look on her face. "How, you have nothing to be sorry for, you hear me. Beca has always been a stubborn girl who does what she wants, this is her fault," Libby said with a little smirk so similar to Beca's it made Chloe's heart jolt. The ginger giggled at the little joke and wiped the tears from her eyes that had been threatening to fall.

"Where's Warren?" Chloe asked, having noticed that the man was absent from the room. Libby gestured out the door as she replied, "He's sitting with Beca." The redhead nodded and ran a hand through her hair before sliding one hand into the back pocket of her jeans and gesturing with her thumb over her shoulder.

"Is it okay if I go in?" She asked looking directly at Libby who just smiled and nodded her head. Before anyone could say anything else to the ginger she practically left smoke tracks behind her as she bolted from the room and made her way towards the ICU. Walking inside, she greeted the nurse at the reception desk with a small wave and continued on to Beca's room. Ever since Warren had made it clear that she was family, none of the staff had batted an eyelid to her presence on the ward.

"Hey," Chloe said, almost under her breath as she stepped into the room and saw Warren sitting back in a chair, glasses perched on the edge for his nose doing a crossword. To anyone else, it would've looked too casual for a man whose daughter was lying on the bed next to him in a critical condition, but for those who knew Warren, she knew he was simply occupying his mind to stop the thoughts of 'what if' floating around.

"Hey kiddo," he replied as he put down the paper and removed his glasses, turning his attention to Chloe who had taken a seat in the empty armchair on the opposite side of the bed, her hand quickly laced with her girlfriends. Reaching up her free hand she gently stroked Beca's hair and cheek as she gazed over her peaceful face.

"Has there been any news?" She asked, turning to look across at Warren who was resting back against the chair, his hands clasped together and resting on his lap. He simply shook his head and gave her a sad smile and then watched as Chloe returned her attention to his daughter. He couldn't help but melt inside a little at the way the redhead looked at the DJ, like she was the most important person on the planet.

"You really love her don't you," he said, more as a statement than a question. Chloe glanced up at him in surprise, not expecting it in the slightest, but when she saw the warm look in his eyes, she relaxed, and the most genuine smile should manage given the circumstances crossed her lips.

"More than anything. She's the best thing to ever happen to me," she stated, her voice defiant as if daring anyone to challenge her. Suddenly the tone of the room shifted and Chloe grew serious as she bit her bottom lip, gazing at Warren as if gauging his mood before she finally decided to ask him something she had been mulling over for some time, months in fact.

"C-can I ask you something?" She whispered, almost losing her voice out of nervousness as the question left her mouth. Warren glanced up at her nodded his head, a gentle smile on his face. "I love Beca more than anyone or anything. She's my best friend. She's my soulmate."

"She's the one who makes me smile when I've had a bad day, who makes me laugh when I need cheering up. When I need comfort, shes's the one whose arms are there every single time without question, without fail, the only arms I want holding me because they make me feel safe and secure. She knows me better than anyone, better than I know myself. Beca, she's home. She's my home."

Warren had been listening intently, absorbing every single thing Chloe said and he couldn't help but smile, not just because of what she was saying, but because he couldn't help but recall a very similar conversation he'd had with his daughter not too long ago about the redhead before him. Back when they had been discussing Beca's furture plans post Barden. After a brief moment, he returned his attention to Chloe who had taken a breath and was now staring at him with a look of sheer determination.

"What I'm trying to say, or ask really, is if, no, when Beca wakes up, if I could have your blessing to ask her to marry me?"she finally managed to get out, swallowing thickly as she gazed across at the man sitting opposite her. Warren huffed out a laugh as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, bowing his head momentarily before glancing up at his daughter and then back at the redhead.

"Chloe, you had my blessing to marry Beca way back in her first year at Barden," he said, grinning from ear to ear as he saw his future daughter-in-law heave out a relieved breath. "You are everything I could've ever hoped Beca would find in a partner. You bring out the best in her and the way you've been there for her, through this and through the diagnosis of her heart condition, the way you take care of her and love, Chloe I would be proud to have you as a daughter."

At this, tears of joy spilled from Chloe's eyes and she stood up and walked around the bed reaching out and embracing Warren as he stood to hug her back. After whispering a quick thank you, they both sat back down and engaged in idle chit chat for a little while about everything and anything, even offering up little pieces of news to Beca in the hopes the stimulation would coax her from her unconscious state.

It was around lunch time when Libby arrived with Styrofoam boxes of food for the trio to eat and some fresh coffees. Chloe had been grateful for the caffeine, needing the little extra boost and after finishing his crossword, Warren excused himself to go stretch his legs, leaving the women behind to watch over Beca.

Although Libby had spent many holidays with Beca and Chloe, she didn't know her daughters girlfriend as well as Warren, the disadvantage of being divorced and living in a different state. But one thing she was sure of, was that Chloe made Beca immeasurably happy, more so than music, and that in itself spoke volumes. She watched as Chloe cradled Beca's hand to her chest and stroked brown hair with the gentlest of touches, nothing needed to be said, because she could see how much the redhead cared for the DJ.

"So Chloe, have you figured out what you're gonna do after graduation?" Libby asked, realising she hadn't really had a proper conversation with the girl since Christmas. Chloe glanced up and nodded her head, her lips quirked up at the ends at the thought of the plans she had made and discussions she and Beca had over the last few months.

"Yeah, actually a friend of mine who I started at Barden with is out in LA and she works at a performing arts school there. Apparently they're looking for a vocal coach and with everything I've achieved with the Bella's, the Dean was impressed, so the job is more or less mine for the taking, I just have to ace the interview," she said. Libby gave her a genuine smile and a small thumbs up.

"You're a shoe in. They'd be crazy not to take you on." Chloe dipped her head shyly and thanked the woman. She was about to ask her about how her trip in Italy had been going when she felt her hand being squeezed. Glancing down, she watched as yet again Beca's hand twitched and very lightly squeezed again. Chloe's head snapped over to Libby before her eyes landed on her girlfriend again.

"Beca," Chloe said, leaning further forward and staring at the younger girls face, waiting for any sign of movement. Just then, Beca's brow furrowed and her heart monitor picked up. Libby quickly leaned forward in her seat having realised that her daughter seemed to be coming around. Before either girl could say anything else, blue eyes fluttered open briefly and then shut against the bright light as Beca began to strain and fight against the tube in her throat helping her breathe. Seeing her discomfort Chloe stood up and leaned down stroking the DJ's hair.

"Bec's, Beca, it's okay just relax." Libby dashed out of the room to alert the nurses at reception and returned within moments with a doctor who was followed close behind by two nurses. He quickly began to speak to Beca, trying to make her relax and stop her from fighting against the tube, noticing that she was causing herself pain. A nurse moved over towards Chloe and eased her out of the way, needing the room to help the doctor, so the redhead walked over towards Libby and stood next to her, the two women holding hands in solidarity as they listened to the doctor.

"Beca, it's Dr. Bennett. I want you to listen to me, everything is gonna be okay, I'm gonna remove the tube in your throat but I need you to relax or it's gonna hurt," he said as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves, his eyes never leaving the tiny DJ. The nurses quickly prepped themselves in case anything went wrong and then Dr. Bennett went to work on removing the tube. Chloe and Libby held their breath as they waited, watching hawk-eyed. After what felt like an eternity they heard the tell-tale signs of coughing as the doctor stood back with the tube in his hand.

"Get me the mask," he said to one of the nurses as the one closest to him dealt with the tube. While Dr. Bennett was placing an oxygen mask over Beca's face and ordering fluids and pain relief, Warren arrived just in time to see that his daughter was awake. As the nurses stepped away from the bed Libby quickly raced over and began to coo over her daughter, cradling her hand and stroking her hair, Warren doing the same as Chloe just stood rooted to the spot, tears streaming down her face almost unbelieving that Beca was finally awake.

"Ch-Chlo," a raspy, strained, muffled voice called out as dark denim eyes fought against heavy lids that almost seemed to refuse to open. "Chlo..." Beca tried again, this time sounding more urgent, desperate even as her hand flailed about trying to seek out the red head. Libby grabbed a hold of her daughter's wandering hand and gripped it tightly.

"Ssh sweetie, it's okay, Chloe's okay, she's here, she's right here," Libby said as she turned and gestured for Chloe to approach. In that moment, the redhead snapped out of her daze and dashed across the space that separated her from her girlfriend and too up the position previously occupied by Libby. Reaching out she laced her hand with the DJ's and squeezed it tightly resting it against her chest as her free hand cupped Beca's face, her thumb stroking a pale cheek to calm the girl.

"I'm here Bec's," she sighed, tears streaming down her face at the feeling of relief that Beca had finally woken up. "Everything's okay," she soothed as the DJ leaned her head into her girlfriends touch. All of her movements, as small as they were, were weak and sluggish seemed to require a great deal of effort. It pained Beca's parents and Chloe to see her so vulnerable but they knew she had a long recovery ahead of her and that she was far from being out of the woods. For now, they were just glad for this rather significant display of progress.

"I love you so much Beca," Chloe whispered as she leaned down and pressed a long lingering kiss to the girls forehead before pulling back and staring down into dark blue eyes that were struggling to stay open. Beca swallowed thickly, wincing at the pain in her throat and chest as she did so and then, with the little energy she had, she gazed into ocean blues and uttered a few small words Chloe hadn't heard in a while.

"Lo-love...you...too."

A couple of hours later, after informing all the Bella's and everyone else gathered in the waiting room of Beca's status, Chloe found herself alone in the room with her girlfriend, the DJ slipping in and out of a restless sleep as her body gave in to the pain medication that was currently numbing her to the discomfort she would've likely felt in her chest otherwise.

Chloe was holding Beca's hand and softly stroking her arm just watching over the brunette as she slept. There was something oddly soothing about the fact that that the sound of Beca's breathing was no longer mechanical, that it was no longer being produce by a tube down her throat forcing air into her lungs. Sure she had breathing mask to compensate for her low oxygen levels but at least she was doing it herself. It meant that Beca had fought, she had fought to come back to her.

"Uhh..." Beca groaned as she woke up. It was difficult not being able to move about, but she quickly learned the hard way after trying to that it more pain than it was worth and that her muscles tended to protest anyways. She weakly lifted a hand towards her face, trying to move the mask, her throat was dry and Chloe must have sensed this as she stood up, grabbed the cup and straw, moved the mask and placed the straw in girlfriends mouth, allowing her to take a few sips before placing the mask back in place.

"Baby are you okay? Do you need anything, more pain relief?" She asked as she stood by the bed stroking the DJ's hair who shook her head no before lacing her hand with Chloe's again, making the redhead sit down. They sat in silence for a moment, just gazing at one another as if they hadn't seen each other in months. As Chloe gazed briefly at the heart monitor, a tear slipped from her eye as she thought of how differently things could've turned out. It could've been her lying in that bed, or worse. But it wasn't, because Beca had taken the bullet for her, protected her the threat of death.

"Why did you do it? Why did you put yourself at risk like that?" Chloe asked as she gazed into Beca's heavily hooded eyes. The DJ didn't say anything though, she didn't have the energy to say everything she needed to in that moment, so she did the only thing she could think of in that moment that would explain everything. Gripping Chloe's hand, she rubbed her thumb over the promise ring that was a permanent fixture on the redheads finger, making Chloe glance down.

It was through that gesture Chloe understood. Beca had made a promise to the redhead, not just to love her and be there for her, but to keep her safe and if there was one thing Beca never did, it was break her promises. Chloe knew in her heart why Beca had done it, but it actually have the DJ confirm it only further solidified the fact that no could ever love her the way Beca loved her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Chloe stood up, moved the oxygen mask covering her girlfriends face and kissed her with as much passion and care as she could.

"You're an idiot. You could've been killed," she said as she stroked Beca's cheek, "But I love you anyways." At this the brunette grimaced as a chuckle escaped her. "I...love...you...too...awesome...nerd," Beca replied breathlessly. Chloe leaned down for one more kiss before placing the oxygen mask back where it should be and sitting back down, just as Beca's eyes began to close again. Yep, she was definitely going to marry that girl.


End file.
